Community-Focused Interfaith Seder Being Held Thursday at UConn Stamford
Residents invited to attend gathering with local leaders
STAMFORD — Three community groups are teaming up for an event allowing residents to gather and connect during an Interfaith Seder on Thursday, April 11. Organized by the United Jewish Federation of Stamford, New Canaan, and Darien (UJF), the Interfaith Council of Southwestern Connecticut, and the Stamford Mayor’s Multicultural Council (MMC), the event will be hosted at the University of Connecticut’s Stamford Campus at 6:30 pm.
“Given the divisions among people throughout the world and in our own community, the Interfaith Seder offers an alternative to division," said Reverend Mark Lingle, Chair of the Interfaith Council. “It models that we can come together — even in our differences — and develop relationships, understanding, and compassion.”
To emphasize the connection among the Stamford community, an announcement from UJF indicated that “a specially designed Haggadah, a Jewish text that sets forth the order of the Passover Seder,” will be used, and it is “designed around the theme of ‘Uniting Our Community’ and follow the traditional pattern of the Passover Seder but will incorporate themes that will resonate with people of different faiths and backgrounds.” After more than six months since the Hamas attack on Israel, what has since unfolded worldwide will offer “a prism through which to view the reading.”
Traditional seder foods and snacks will be provided. Given the formal evening planned, reservations are requested. They can be made by registering on the UJF’s website at ujf.org/seder.
Admission for the Interfaith Seder is $25 for attendees or $10 for UJF NextGen members. UConn Professor Fred Roden has also offered sponsorship so that university students can attend for free. Opportunities to sponsor the event are available, too.
“We hope that many people of all faiths will be able to attend this special event,” said Sharon Lewis, Director of UJF’s Jewish Community Relations Council, “and allow our community to be a beacon of peace and understanding."
While this will be the first Interfaith Seder convened in Stamford since before the COVID-19 pandemic, , the event has an extensive history spanning many years.
Rabbi Joshua Hammerman of Temple Beth El has worked on all previous Interfaith Seders. The UJF announcement stated that Hammerman plans to retire this year, so the 2024 Interfaith Seder will be his last community event. “Although he is excited about the Seder, it will be a bittersweet evening for him and the Jewish community he has served for several decades.”
Aside from Lingle and Hammerman, additional clergy members will take part in the Interfaith Seder by reading passages from the Haggadah.
"The overarching theme of liberation at the heart of the Seder functions to remind us that each individual possesses dignity and is worthy of liberation. Our communities possess a similar reality,” Lingle added. “When we honor this in ourselves and the other, we promote the liberation inherent in the Seder.”
Individuals interested in learning more details or getting involved can contact the UJF’s Lewis at slewis@ujf.org.
For additional information about the organizing groups, visit their websites.
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